Unscrupulous
by Zuimi
Summary: They all had different backgrounds. A criminal reputation. A dying mother. A life of poverty. But they find each other anyway because they are willing to reinvent their life in music. A new band has appeared and who's to say what's next.
1. They Meet

**Hi. I'm zuimi. And I know I haven't posted anything for a long time, but I brainstormed so much that I just needed to get some ideas written. I hope you enjoy this new story of mine!**

**Soul's Perspective**

The chilly air surrounded me, hugging me in what felt like a blanket of ice. The wind whispered little secrets into my ears, turning them red from the cold. The deep dark clouds that hung over me, threatening to release its snowflakes onto the city below. I sighed, a small cloud leaving my mouth as I did so. My fingers could barely move because they were so frozen and red. I needed to get inside somewhere. Once again, I sighed as my eyes moved toward my favorite bar. It had a stage for performers. And anyone could perform- almost like a karaoke, but much more talented. My feet trudged toward bar. It's name rung inside of my head. The Dead Tavern. The owners look more or less like zombies or mummies. It's kind of funny, actually.

My strong arm swung the door open. And BAM! Loud music slapped me in the face. Warmth snuggled into me to replace the freezing cold from outside. My greedy eyes took everything in to see: men laughing of all ages, woman dancing to the music, bartenders skillfully making alcoholic concoctions, and a performer. She was a Russian looking woman who wore too much make up. Her bright lipstick was on too thick. Her eye shadow made an attempt to make her eyes seem larger. Her eyeliner continued past her eye to make an Asian look to her face. But aside from her cruel looking façade, her voice sounded thrilled and kind. She actually was a very talented singer. And I recognized the song she was singing: "Someone Like You" by Adele. The performer had the perfect voice to sing the song.

I took a seat by the bar. The cold marble under my hands was sticky with spilled sugary beverages. A black woman looked at me with cerulean eyes. Though she wore bandages over her mouth, I knew she was smiling.

"Hey, there, Soul," Nygus greeted, not pausing from making a drink for me. She knew exactly what my favorite beer was. A moment later, she handed me a tall beer glass of 'Rolling Rock'. I nodded in thanks. She continued, "So what brought you here today? A bad day? You should've come earlier. It's almost the end of my shift."

I shrugged, "Jus' didn't wanna be at home. Dad must be on his male period." She smiled at my attempt of humor, but she knew that life wasn't easy for everyone. She watched me take a gulp of my drink. I knew Nygus for a long time, and she's the only person in the world who knows me inside and out. I noticed the performer had finished her song and had exited the stage. She made her way toward me. I turned myself toward her when she took the stool next to me.

"Hi, there," She said, obviously trying to impress. I wasn't here to pick up girls, but why not just chat? I knew she'll get bored and leave after a while. I wasn't in the mood for a girl to flirt with me.

I cleared my throat and stared at her in the eye, "Hi. You were pretty good up there. Great voice." Her hand daintily covered her mouth in a surprise to the compliment and she blushed. Her eyelids batted her eyelashes at me in a "sexy and cute way". I continued playing with her, "You're perfect to sing Adele songs. You come here often?"

She said, "Gosh, thanks. I don't come here often, though. You're too much." I watched as she took out a note card from her purse and wrote something down, "I'm Charlotte. Here's my number. Call anytime!" And as she left, I swear she winked. So much for chatting. I looked down at the phone number. From the moment she gave it to me, I knew I was never going to dial it.

Nygus chuckled and looked over to me, "I see you got some bitches to choose from. So what? You going to call her? You want to give _anyone_ a try? I'm serious, Soul. You're 19! Have a life! Explore!" I knew what she was saying. She wanted me to have some kind of fun. I mean, my family's screwed up, but I end up being crammed inside my house most of the time.

I sighed dramatically, "Nygus, it's too easy to crack girls. They throw themselves at me and want me to just go along! Why can't it be like the movies?"

At this, Nygus threw her head back and laughed so hard, I bet she peed a little bit, "Oh, gosh, the movies! I didn't know you were such a dreamer, Soul!" Her hand came up to pat my on the head. Grinning weakly, I took another sip of my beer. Nygus had known me since first grade. She's always been like this. And since its Nygus, she wanted me to get married more than anything. She believed that it changes a person's life so much; you could care less about anything else that happened in your past. Nygus claimed that love will fix all my problems, like it did when she married Sid, the second owner of the Dead Tavern. But I knew better than to leap into any girl's arms, especially here, in a bar. Quickly, I chugged down the rest of my drink, wanting to go outside suddenly. Nygus, spontaneously, had leaped up, cheered, and fist pumped the air.

"What's the occasion?" I ask, chuckling at her antics.

She enthused, "It's the end of my shift! I'm goin' home!" She gathered up her bag and coat, and she left me in a rush. What would I do now? I've been deserted. My eyes scanned the rest of the room. Happiness. Warmth. And a new performer. The performer was another girl. She had a round face from full cheeks. Her eyes glowed an emerald green, dancing with excitement upon seeing her audience. Her clothes were simple: A 'My Chemical Romance' v-neck tee, navy blue skinny jeans, and faded black converse finished up the look. But one thing that took me by surprise is that the girl looked around my age, but she had put her sandy blonde hair up into pigtails. Once again, she surprised me with her make-up, or lack of it, rather. She took the microphone into her hands, and started to sing 'The Sharpest Lives' by My Chemical Romance. Her voice was strong, confident, projective, but it was in dire need of support from other instruments. She was pretty and talented, which forced me to look back at how I could help her. My father had always forced me to play the piano, though it was against my will. He trained me, not afraid to inflict pain on his son if I were being difficult. Actually, he was thrilled to beat me up, even if I did nothing wrong. I swear, I bet that's somewhere on his daily routine. But I really did enjoy playing the piano. My fingers itched to once again play, even though I hated the instrument the minute I was told to play it. I learned to love it, but my father hadn't made it easy to. I heard the girl sing, she was losing audience. And the horrible thing is, I knew the song by heart. It was my favorite song through last year. Though I didn't know how to play it on the piano, I could easily improvise.

My vision dancing across the room, laying on the untouched piano that's used every Wednesday for 'Jazz Night'. This was too much of a great opportunity to let pass. This day was a real let-down, might as well do something with it. My legs lifted me from the chair. The performer struggled to support her own voice, but she needed back up. And then, I found myself sitting down at the piano, fingers stretched out, ready to tap the keys. And right as the girl started the second refrain, I started to play frantically. I was surprised that I could improvise as well as I just had. The girl was just as surprised as I was, pausing her singing for just a moment. But she continued her voice stronger and more confident than before. Energy ran through both our sounds, feeling us both thrilled with a new sensations running through our veins, spreading with every heartbeat. The notes filled us with a different adrenaline. And all too suddenly, the song ended. My last piano chord rang through everyone's ears, and everybody in the bar applauded. I smiled, knowing that if Nygus was here, she'd be all too proud. After a few minutes of clapping, I stood up from the piano and was struck dumb. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Looking at the exit, I thought it would be the best option and started for the doors. But frail, but incredibly firm hands grabbed my arm and pulled me to face their owner.

It was the girl, and she was looking like an emotional wreck. I could see jealousy, excitement, happiness, anger, but most of all: determination. At first she just stared at me, not knowing what to say, but with a great need to say something. I gave a weak grin to ease the tension, but it only made things so much more awkward.

She started to stutter, "Um… you see, well… I… you should… um…" Another awkward silence. My grin faded to a puzzled expression. Up close, I noticed the girl had faint freckles dancing across her nose and cheekbones. And gosh, did she have no boobs. I didn't think it was even possible to have _that_ little. And now that the subject was brought up, I noticed she really had no sex appeal at all. She was like a little 5 year old, but in a strange way, you could tell she was at least in high school.

The tension was too much for me and I just had to get something out of my mouth. I said, "Um… you're welcome, I guess…"

And that broke the girl's nervousness and she spoke, "Oh, shaddup! I could've done it all myself! If it wasn't for you, I would've been the star of the show. Now, it's gotta be a duet or something. Ugh… you annoy me so much. But you know what? I'll let you off the hook. You're a pretty good pianist after all…"

"Excuse me?" I broke out, irritated out of my mind. Who the hell does this girl think she is? The president? She has nerve. I continued, "I was nice enough to help you out because you were obviously struggling. You should be saying 'thank you' and falling to your knees before me!"

"You little-! Nice enough? I'm gonna play the nice one here, buddy. You see, for your terrible act, I'm gonna reward you! Isn't that something? I'm just too nice for you!" The girl went on. She growled slightly after every sentence, which I couldn't help but think was a little cute. But in all, she was annoying the crap out of me.

I sighed, "I ain't gonna be yelled at anytime soon by a girl with no tits. Now shaddup and tell me what this reward is!"

At this the girl breathed hard and clenched her teeth, "First, don't you bring my body up in this conversation. I'm not the one who died his hair freaking white, sharpened my teeth, and dyed my eyes red! Second, how can I shut up and then tell you something?"

Now, I was just getting downright angry. I opened my mouth and closed repeatedly, thinking about what was the best thing to say, to make my story more credible. I seethed, "My hair is white, my teeth are sharp, and my eyes are red. Okay. Get this: It's all natural!" I fumbled for my wallet. I had a family picture that I always stomped on whenever I was enraged from a long time ago. I dug it out and shoved it in her face and spit out, "See? SEE? Gosh, people these days. What loser would want to look like me?" The girl snatched the photo from my hands to investigate. And when she comprehended everything that was shown on it, her eyes widened. I guess that depressing sentence at the end of my speech kind of calmed the anger in both of us.

Her voice came out like it was about to cry afterwards, "So this is what a family is. Your family must be so perfect. Everyone's smiling."

Some of my anger returned at that, and I shouted, "Perfect? Perfect? My dad abuses me so much, there're practically bloodstains in every room in our house. I have scars everywhere! How is that to you? Perfect? My life is so amazing, right?" And I found myself with tears streaming down my face, dripping onto my shirt. Why did I tell her that? Why did I tell her my entire misery? I shouted, "So what about you? Made you feel better about your life?"

The minute I finished that last sentence, the girl perked up with a raging expression on her face. She was crying. Not that hard, but it was enough for her eyes to get watery and her eyebrows furrow. She whispered to me through teeth, "My life is no better than yours, if worse! My mom's in the hospital dying on a bed at this exact moment! And where is that useless father of mine? He's playing with prostitutes. He's been ever since my mom got sick! And what am I going to do? Tell my mom so she could die as an unhappy, betrayed, and lonely woman? I can't tell her! How's that? My life is so amazing, right?"

My eyebrows went up. That was just as terrible as my life. At this point she was sobbing. I needed to comfort her. I'm a cool guy. I don't make chicks cry, unless they're asking for it. I wrapped my arms around her tiny form. She felt too skinny under my muscular arms. I made her cry and I don't even know her name. Great going, Soul. I hushed her, "So what was that reward?" Changing the subject was the best option I had at the moment.

She looked up at me and smiled weakly. She said much more confidently, "You are worthy to join my band! This is your once in a lifetime chance!" I grinned my signature grin that showed all those horrifyingly sharp teeth of mine.

"Really? Oh, gosh, I feel like I'm going to faint!" I said in mock excitement. But on the inside, I really was stunned she asked me to join her band, even if it was probably just the two of us… for now.

She chuckled and said, "You're a mermaid."

"Wait, what?" I ask, completely lost.

"Your teeth," She says, "They're like shark teeth. And a shark is a fish, you know. But you're not full fish. You're part human. So in conclusion, you are a mermaid."

I laughed at her logic and stepped away. The rest of the bar was oblivious to what just happened behind the stage, which was pretty lucky for us. I noticed that she also admitted all her miseries and life story. I bet she regretted it when she said it, just like me. But for some strange reason, I feel like I could tell this girl my secrets. I said, "You called me a mermaid and ya don't even know my name."

She laughed, "You're absolutely correct. I guess this is the time I should tell you my name. It's Maka. Maka Albarn. Ya better remember it." She gave me a nudge with her arm and added, "Wanna tell me yours?"

"It's Soul. Soul Evans. Got it? Better not overuse it…" I grinned, nudging her back. She locked arms with me after that.

Suddenly excited, she enthused, "I already thought of a band name a month ago, even though I didn't have a band. But now that I do, we're gonna be awesome!"

"Wanna share with the class?" I humored.

She twirled her hair with the finger on the arm that wasn't locked with mine and shrugged, "It's not that good or anything but here it is. Ready? It's 'Spartoi'."

"Spartoi, huh?" I say, analyzing the information I was just told. It was actually really nice. Definitely original in many different ways. I added, "Has a ring to it. I like good. Good work, tiny-tits."

And at that moment I was introduced to wonderful little things that were apparently titled 'Maka-Chops'. Even though this Maka girl was mouthy, a big ass, and annoying, she was in a terrible family situation, just as I. Though I feel like we're going to be fighting a lot more, I really want to be her friend. I needed at least one other friend other than Nygus. And not only that, but she wants me in a band. This will take my mind off my terrible family. Maka. That's a girl I'm thrilled to know more about.

**Now, if you liked this, please subscribe to here more of the story. It's just the start! I'm really big on support so don't be afraid to click that big button down there to review. PM me if you have great ideas, discussions, questions, or you're just lonely. Stay tuned!**

**~Zuimi**


	2. They Find

**Hi, there. Once again, there's another chapter of Unscrupulous. Thanks for the reviews. Oh, and I'm so grateful for all of those who favorite or followed this story. It means so much! Anyway, if you're too bored with your life to do anything better, I'll be thrilled if you read my other stories, though they're not really that good… Well, back to this chapter: Here it is!**

**Maka's Perspective**

It was 2 days after Soul and I first met. At this moment, I was skipping to work. I worked at the booksellers in town, just 3 blocks from the bar I met Soul at. The hard cement sidewalk below me felt airy from my good mood. To tell you the truth, I was thrilled to go to work. At Bookmarks, the booksellers I work at, I'm able to chat away with the owner, who's actually one of my best friends. Scratch that, my only friend besides Soul. The owner's name is Miss Marie, but I just call her Marie. Even though she's 27 and I'm 18, we get along just fine. I threw open the doors to Bookmarks and announced my presence rather loudly. But no answer came, so I realized that Marie would be late for work… again.

My mind suddenly switched to Soul. I barely knew him, but I my mouth slipped and I told him about my mom and dad! I told him everything! But for some reason, it wasn't bothering me. I felt that it was natural. And I really can't believe that his hair, teeth, and eyes are natural. But what surprised me most is that he complained about having a horrible family, but in the photograph he had revealed to me, everyone seemed to be having a great time. I have to ask him about that. Actually, at the bar, we exchanged phone numbers. And today, we're going to meet up. I'm super excited.

"Maka!" Marie burst through the doors of Bookmarks, out of breath, "You're already here! Look at you! That's my little hard worker!" Marie was so nice. She was practically my mom since we knew each other for so long. She took a strand of my hair and began to braid it, just to entertain her fingers. I didn't complain because whenever people play with my hair I get chills down my spine and feel so amazing. Marie continues, "So where were you yesterday?"

I smiled, looking upwards devilishly, "Just went to the bar. You know, the Dead Tavern…"

Marie stared back at me in alarm. She gasped, "Maka! Since when did you drink? I'm so disappointed with you! Why didn't you bring me along! We could've had a girls' night out!"

I shrugged, "I didn't drink. I just performed. Anyway, you have to be 21 to drink! It's not that big, Marie," I danced away from her, pushing some books back on the bookcases. And finally, I went on to say, "And I met a guy…"

At this Marie squealed so loud, my ears hurt. She rushed over to me and pulled me into a hug. She kept me in her embrace for a while, twirling me around the room, causing me to trick a couple times. But finally, she released me from her squeeze and enthusiastically exclaimed, "Oh, my gosh! Maka-chan! I can't believe you! I always thought that we'd be single ladies together forever since you never looked interested in men since your dad. But now that you've found your man, I've gotta meet him! Oh, gosh!"

I pushed her away playfully, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Marie! I don't even like him. We're just friends. He's going to be in a band with me!" I saw her shoulders droop at this new news. To lift her out of her 'down in the dumps' mood, I added, "Well, he's coming over here at three to hang." Marie perked up at the information and skipped behind the cash register.

Her eyebrow raised, "Just to hang, huh?" But the subject was dropped at that. She set up the cashier station and took opened the new shipment of books that were just delivered to the store. She handed me a pile of books to organize. I came back for more books only to receive one more.

I looked up at her, confused. I asked, "One?"

She leaned on the cashier counter and sighed, "Maka, you've always been a great girl." I investigated the book in my hands: 'Mockingjay' by Suzanne Collins. It was the third book of the amazing 'Hunger Games series'. It was an amazing series that I was too busy to finish. I read the first two books, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. But the third never was able to be read. I stared down at the book, noticing Marie was giving it to me as a gift. I squealed. It was once in a blue moon I was given gifts from Marie. But my euphoria was crashed when the ringing of the door had rung through the silent store. A customer has entered the scene. It was time for action.

I flew toward the entrance of Bookmarks and greeted our patron warmly, "Hello, there! Welcome to Bookmarks, the finest booksellers in all of Death City. We have a variety of books to choose from that might be of your interest. I'll be here to help you anytime if you need any assistance. We have 50%off on all James Patterson books for the whole week. Enjoy!" I was almost out of breath when I finished my speech and I took a big breath to revive my practically dead lungs. I get really nervous when I have to go face-to-face with people I don't know very well. Though Marie says it doesn't show on the outside, it really is just a façade. But unlike one-on-one chats, I do enjoy performing in front of people. Especially singing.

The man smiled. And my smile vanished off my face. At first I was almost certain that Soul had just stepped into the bookstore. But when I took a closer look, it wasn't Soul at all. Though he had bright red eyes, sharpened teeth, and glossy hair, they just weren't Soul. The man's eyes were too bright to be mistaken for the dull scarlet orbs that Soul has. Furthermore, the man's hair was a more silver tone than the blinding white also owned by Soul. But I recognized this man, even though I knew it wasn't my new friend. I suddenly noticed I was staring, and my eyes quickly darted to the side, while I bit my lip unsurely.

"Can I help you?" The man had noticed my bewildered stares of recognition.

I suddenly I couldn't get anything out. My nerves were freaking out. I felt the man's eyes staring at me, awaiting an answer. I started to stammer, frantically trying to find the right words to say to this man. Why was it so easy to talk to Soul when I first met him and here I was dying? There were so many words and I just couldn't see myself saying any of them in this situation. I finally managed to get out, "You look like Soul." I don't know what I was thinking. How would this guy even know who Soul was, let alone that I was talking about a person. I mean, really, Maka. We could've done this better.

But to my surprise, the man started to chuckle and grinned widely, "Now how do you know my little brother? Does he actually come here?"

My eyes widened, "Y-your little brother? I met him at a bar."

"You don't look the type to go drinking yourself silly."

I waved my hands in denial, "Oh, no! I wasn't drinking!"

He eyed me and then said, "Well, at least he's getting out of the house, even if it means going to a bar…"

I gulped. Then it smacked me in the face. Of course! That's why I recognized him! He was in the picture of Soul's family. I looked at the man's warm smile and noticed that I picture was, indeed, taken a long while ago. Both Soul and his brother have grown some since. And then I reminded that I was working, "Well, anyway, if you need me, I'll be here."

I turned around to leave him be, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me to face him. He cleared his throat before saying, "Take me to the James Patterson books. I might as well buy a book."

Why would he come to the bookstore if he really had no real intention to buy a book? But I motioned him to follow me to the 'Patterson' section. There, he chose a young adult book by the name of 'Maximum Ride' **(1)**. To end the awkward silence, I made conversation, though I was reluctant, "I really liked that series. It was great. 'Bout kids with wings that're tryin' to escape their childhood habitat, a lab. Really interesting."

The man nodded, "Cool. By the way, my name's Wes. Even if you don't care, it might be handy since you're Soul's friend now." I blushed for no reason at all and lead him to Marie at the cash register. Marie smiled at him, did the business, and Wes left without a word.

When I was sure he couldn't hear me, and turned toward Marie and said, "That was Soul's brother! They look practically the same. Well, the face structure is totally different. But the white hair, teeth, the red eyes."

Marie widened, "That's all genetic? Maka, I think we need to talk about the men you're finding."

"Marie!" I was about to go on before the door notified me that we had yet another customer. I raced to the door to introduce the person to Bookmarks. My eyes took in the sight of yet another man in that had entered the shop. This one had hair swiped to the side the color of a raven. His eyes disagreed with the darkness of his eyes and clashed with a bright blue. His frame was well-toned. Actually, he was pretty attractive if you ask me. I smile sweetly and say, "Hello, there! Welcome to Bookmarks, the finest booksellers in all of Death City. We have a variety of books to choose from that might be of your interest. I'll be here to help you anytime if you need any assistance. We have 50%off on all James Patterson books for the whole week. Enjoy!" I forgot to take a breath in between the words panted afterwards.

"Thanks," He smiled, "I'm looking for 'The Hunger Games'."

I got super excited. I forgot all about my shyness towards strangers as I started to enthuse about one of my favorite book series, "Oh, my gosh! I loved that series! Did you start it?"

The guy got just as excited as I got and his eyes became the size of saucers, "Start it? I read the entire series! I really am obsessed. I watched the movie three times and read all the books around 5 times. It was the best thing in the world!"

I started to jump up and down and said, "Oh, I only read the first two books just because I was so busy. But my friend," I motioned to Marie, "just got me Mockingjay and I can't wait to read it. You better not spoil it!"

"Don't worry I won't! I actually thought Mockingjay was the worst out of the trilogy." He smiled after this, "Once you read it, maybe we could talk about it?" Before I knew it, he reached for my phone that I was reminded was in my front pockets, proudly showing itself to the rest of the world. He clicked away at something and then returned my cell into my front pocket. I quickly found 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins and handed it to him. He left without another word. When he left, though, I pulled out my cell and noticed a 'Manny' right before 'Mom' and after 'Marie'.

"Marie! He gave me his phone number!" I squealed as I rushed to the register.

She snorted at me as if I was some filth she didn't want in her store, "Maka, you little two-timer! What will you tell Soul? I was so confident in you two!"

I rolled my eyes, "Soul and I aren't gonna be dating anytime soon! Now, lay off my case!"

Time passed quickly while I was at work. It kept my mind off of both of my parents' issues. Maries wouldn't stop thinking I should definitely get together with Soul, though she didn't even know him. I wonder what kind of image of him she has in her head. Well, I know she has good intentions, but I can't help but get irritated. Bookmarks got more customers including a girl who wouldn't stop mumbling under her breath, a man with a cane with bad temper, a girl who had a terrible cold and sneezed on everything, a boy that bought at least 20 books, and finally a man that was staring at Marie's boobs the entire time he was visiting. I'm not even joking. The people in this city…

But time passed by fast enough that the time had skipped to three. It was the end of my shift. No more customers were coming. I was putting more books away. But when I put books away, it always takes an awful long time. I end up skimming through a whole bunch of them. But I barely noticed when Soul strolled in with his arms deep in his pockets and his back slightly hunched over, showing his carelessness.

I looked over as Soul asked Marie "Does a girl named Maka Albarn work here? I mean, is she here?" Marie's expression lightened significantly. She was obviously satisfied with him, as he didn't seem like he'd hurt me in anyway. He mouth flew open.

"Soul!" She ran from behind the cash register. She nearly tripped over a pile of books that she put aside for a customer coming tomorrow at 6 pm to pick them up. She continued on her journey to Soul, who was confused out of his mind. His face was priceless; I wish I had my camera on me. She hugged him, which was what neither I or Soul had expected.

"I-I don't know you," He choked out to Marie, uncomfortably shifting in the awkward embrace. I stepped out from behind the bookshelves laughing my ass off. He seemed relieved to see me. Marie finally let go of him.

"Oh, Maka!" She squealed, "He's wonderful! I totally think you should go out with him! He's so sexy! I didn't know you could score so high." Both Soul and I were blushing now. I mean, I didn't think Marie would say that in front of Soul! She turned to him and said, "Soul, treat Maka well. She's like a little sister. And I could totally understand why you'd go for a beauty like her. You guys are meant for each other! I mean, look! He's blushing!"

Soul was utterly speechless. So was I. Both of us were flustered. I took Soul by the wrist and left with him with a quick, terse 'bye' to Marie. Once we were at least a block away from Bookmarks, we broke out in laughter. I have no idea why, but I just thought something was hilarious and so did Soul. I glanced at him with a quick question, "So, what did you have in mind?"

He shrugged, his eyes exploring the sky as if to find an idea written in the clouds. A soft hum leaving his throat as he thought. He finally suggested we go take a trip down to the main street in Death City. That's Hook Road. It's the street in Death City where you go when you're up for some entertainment. But the shops there are pricey and the restaurants too fancy. And to make the mood melancholy, there's a rather large cemetery at the end of the road called 'Hook Cemetery'. But the street entertainment there is a blast. The cafes, if you know where to look, are amazing, cute, and cheap. If you live in Death City, you need to know things. There are way too many unwritten rules in Death City that you must follow in order to survive. Burglars, murderers, and insane/stoned/drunk people litter the streets of this grand town. The unwritten rules are the following:

Don't wander around after 1 AM. You'll be dead/raped/etc.

Don't try to fight someone threatening. You'll be dead by tomorrow.

Don't march around town in expensive wear. You'll be robbed that night.

Don't be easily influenced. You'll be broke, raped, etc immediately.

Don't try to stand out. You'll be robbed/beaten by tomorrow.

Don't talk to people you don't know and mind your own business. You're a goner.

Of course, you don't go prancing around putting up signs that addresses these rules. And you can't just list them in a conversation. I guess that's the seventh rule:

Don't preach the rules to people. They must learn themselves.

Of course, people constantly break all these rules, and that's why Death City has the highest death, rape, and burglary rate in all of the United States of America. That's why we have a cemetery that's so big. I know, you might think I'm out of my mind for still living here, but those are the reasons why it's so fun living here. In Death City, federal laws are merely guidelines that people choose to follow. Though I tend to stay on track, many people stray the righteous path. Gangs usually just fight with themselves. It's the unlucky ones who might just be at the wrong place at the wrong time that are unfortunately sacrificed in these fights.

Before I knew it, we were at Hook Road, looking at the crowds racing from shop to shop excitedly. There's tons of ways you could be identified as: the Abercrombie sluts, the nicely dressed girls that gain popularity, the wasted (on drugs and alcohol and crime), the bookworms, the nerds, the geeks, the douche-with-that-Mustang, the jocks, the artsy/musical peeps, and finally, the outcasts. You probably would think that it would all stop once you got out of high school, the cliques and labels and all, I mean. But Death City isn't like the normal towns. It's a new category. I related myself to the bookworms and artsy/musical peeps… and also the nerds and geeks, sadly. Then again, I don't have any other friends besides Soul and Marie. I think Soul would also go for the Artsy/musical, but definitely not the bookworms. I don't really like labels much, though. Don't want to be restricted to one personality. I'm a mix of a bunch. And I bet Soul is too.

"Hey Soul," I asked nudging him with my shoulder to get his attention, "Did you ever live somewhere else besides Death City?"

Soul nodded, going on to explain, "I lived in a small town in New Jersey called 'Lyndhurst'. Totally different from here. It was a small place with the obvious criminals, but nothing like here. At Lyndhurst, even though it was much safer, I felt so much more restricted to really speak up and get friends, though. In Death City, I got to speak my mind." I smiled, satisfied with his answer. Everyone feels the same way. I used to live in a town in Upstate New York called 'Sydney'. Even though there were forested mountains and beautiful creeks, the society didn't let you feel half as free. It's always the same story. I nodded to tell Soul I was in the same situation.

"Death's City a funny city," I agree, though Soul never stated that directly, "I met your brother, Wes, today at the bookstore. Nice guy, you know."

I could see Soul's jaw tense at the subject of family, but I felt like he deserved to know, "He doesn't read much." That was all Soul could mutter.

I sighed, taking a nice deep breath, "You know, I have no idea how you got those looks of yours…"

He got the wrong idea and grinned, mock modestly stretching his muscular arms for me to see, "I know, I guess I'm pretty sexy if TinyTits thinks so. Didn't know Maka liked my gorgeously sexy body."

I blushed madly and screamed, "Maka Chop!"

He whimpered in pain as he clutched his hurting head, "What the hell, Maka! It was joke! But seriously, I have chicks throwing themselves at me. Especially at the bar. Say a few sweet words, she says some back. The next thing I know, I got her phone number."

My hands flew to my hips and I turned my nose up at him, "I got boys all over me! Don't think you're so special. I mean, I can't really blame them for having such great taste."

Soul shook his head and sighed, "Maka, Maka, Maka. I knew weren't innocent, but fooling blind guys is going a whole other step!"

I steamed with rage, "The guys that liked me were not blind! Maka Chop!"

"Then let's see it!" He challenged, back to clutching his hurting head, "By the end of the week, whoever has a girlfriend/boyfriend first wins!"

"And if I win?" I asked, knowing I'll win automatically. I've got Manny to call. Hm… but I don't think I actually want to date. Maybe I'll just straight out ask him to pretend to be my date.

Soul thought about my question for a second, "I'll buy you one book. Any book. As long as it's less than $50. I don't want to spend my money on useless shit like books but if you win, I'll count this one time out." He rolled his eyes as if he was super confident. Ha! As if. I'll win for sure.

"If you win I'll buy you…" I searched my mind for ideas for what to give Soul, but my mind proved to be empty of such a thing. What could I give Soul?

"Just give me $30 bucks and I'll be good." He said, "Might as well just hand me the money now because there's no way you're winning."

I sneered, "Don't be so sure."

At this time we reached Hook Road and crowds pushed us toward other people. We squeezed by people, narrowly missing the collision we would've had. Inside cafes, people drank tall glasses filled with dairy heaven sprinkled with candy toppings. Restaurants filled the air with the aroma of gourmet entrees. Stores displayed beautiful clothes that I would give everything to have, but sell for too much. And then there were the solemn street performers, sharing their talents with the rest of the city. There was a ginger girl who sang beautifully at around the age of 15. A freckled man played the accordion.

Then we reached these two girls with blonde hair and blue eyes. Both were strumming away on their guitars. The taller of the two with long honey-blonde hair sang lead vocals in the song they were singing. I didn't recognize it at all. The taller girl had a musty look in her eyes that could depress the happiest child in the world. She was playing the lead part for the guitar, too. The other shorter girl had platinum blonde hair and large bright eyes. She played base and sang the harmony. Their performance wasn't good. It was legendary. Fabulous. Beautiful. Memorable. They were the kinds of people I wanted in my band. I tossed 5 dollars in their guitar case. Soul, I saw, tossed 10.

I saw the girls start to pack. They probably were performing since morning.

"Soul, we need those girls in our band. They're amazing. They're exactly what we need!" I say, looking at the girls walking farther and farther away. Soul nodded in agreement and the chase began. It was kind of funny how I still barely knew Soul, but we already could understand each other so well. I wanted him to be my best friend. He was the kind of person I could entrust my life to. We ran after the girls. But when we got to the spot I swear they were, they had vanished. We lost them. Who knows when we'd see them again?

**Thank you so much for sticking with me for the second chapter! I hope you like it. Please, I beg you, review. I get so excited when I get reviews. This story hasn't even begun and I really don't want to get bored of it. The more reviews, I get inspired to do so many more things. Give me ideas on what to do, and I could try to fit them in for something great. I love all of you!**

**Zuimi**


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